New channel BT Sport has won the race to screen Usain Bolt’s debut football match for Manchester United.

Superstar sprinter Bolt will be playing in a testimonial for pal Rio Ferdinand - who has been signed as the face of BT Sport.

And the game is expected to be watched by millions around the world as it will be streamed online across 170 countries as well as on the telly.

The telecoms giant which has paid £738 million for 38 Premier League matches a season for the next three years in a £1 billion a year investment in its three sports channels has bagged the showpiece game at Old Trafford on August 9.

An all star Red Devils line-up will take on Sevilla, two days before the season’s curtain raiser, the FA Community Shield at Wembley.

United gave 34-year-old Rio the testimonial for 12 years of service and he said: “Manchester United is a unique club with fans in every corner of the globe so I am delighted that my testimonial is going to be so widely available to all of the club’s supporters in so many countries.

“It is going to be a fantastic and fun evening and there will be famous sporting faces and celebrities popping up all over the place, so it should be an incredible night.”

It is the first time a UK soccer testimonial will be broadcast to a global audience and record breaking Olympic 100 metre and 200 metre champ Bolt may well be in a special 9.63 shirt in tribute to his sprint record.

A deal between BT and online streaming firm Streamworks International means the match will be free to all UK broadband users.

Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said: “We are delighted to be associated with a huge star like Rio in all the different ways he is featuring on BT Sport and we are thrilled that his testimonial is going to be live on BT Sport.

“To mark this special occasion, we’ve put together a groundbreaking plan to help make this game available to millions of fans across the globe, and it is something of a technology first for a game to be streamed live on this scale.”

BT Sport has signed exclusive rights to 38 live football matches from the Barclays Premier League, including 18 of the “top picks” from August 2013 for three seasons.

It will also screen FA Cup games, UEFA Europa League and Scottish Premier League matches, as well as top tier live football from Germany, Italy, France, Brazil, Australia and the USA, plus action from the FA Women’s Super League and 30 live matches from the Football Conference.